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I use a set of tweezers as part of my toolkit, and they have a hole in one arm and a corresponding spike in the other. Why?

Tweezer Example

JYelton
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    I think it's funny how quickly a non-electronic design question will get down voted and closed unless people say to themselves "huh, I was curious about the same thing..." – Samuel Dec 17 '13 at 22:08
  • It should be noted that these kind of tweezers were around far before people even thought about SMD parts or had anything in electronics could remotely be lifted with one of these. – PlasmaHH Mar 25 '15 at 16:30

5 Answers5

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The spike is called an "alignment pin" and is useful for very fine tweezers that might twist or bend slightly, causing the tips to misalign.

Here's an example at Aventools:

Tweezers with alignment pin

JYelton
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I have never hear a good explanation, but this is my personal thought:

If the tweezers have sharp ends (like the ones in the figure) they can mechanically twist slightly so that the ends of the arms do not meet perfectly. This in turn makes it difficult to hold the smallest SMD components. The spike and the hole force the ends of the arms to be aligned.

user24368
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It is an alignment pin. It is used to ensure that the ends of the tweezers do not twist while holding small objects. Unfortunately most people don't realize they are there and find out they exist the painful way.

Daniel Comeau
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Aside from the alignment purpose, it also allows you feedback. That is to say, it lets you know when the tips have pressed together, and how much.

Passerby
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    Silly argument: my fingers' muscles know how much they are pressed together. – The Resistance Dec 20 '13 at 16:00
  • @TheResistance Congrats, the world doesn't revolve around just you. – Passerby Dec 20 '13 at 16:25
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    You mean there are people who don't know how hard they press, unless they feel the pin? Bring them on! – The Resistance Dec 20 '13 at 16:33
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    @TheResistance and there are people who can't see without magnifying glasses, can't hear without hearing aids, and can't bend their hands or fingers without pain. – Passerby Dec 20 '13 at 16:36
  • @Passerby, it would sooner go through your skin before you got proper grip on anything small. Anyone who owns a pair like this knows that. So you indeed use it for this purpose? If so feel free to send me an image of such tweezers. If this were the purpose, why then would anyone wonder such a thing? Seems like an awfully obvious answer to this question, and if it were true, it would be obvious to all of us. And just so you know I have little feeling in my thumb and forefinger, what from how many times I burned them soldiering and picking up components. And it still is no use to me. – RexPRGMER Aug 30 '20 at 22:37
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In all my years of working in a lab, I have yet to find out what the pin and the hole are for. I have finally resorted to explaining that that part of the tweezers has been placed there to keep the researcher and students awake, because if you aren't paying attention that spike can go right into your finger. I am even in a position to remove them from the student classrooms because it is a safety hazard.

Shirley
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